All These Years
by Kituukun
Summary: AU: EunHae/HaeHyuk. Fluff and some angst. Eunhyuk has been missing for 7 years. When memories of Hyukjae that Donghae tried to put behind him come to him in a dream, he begins to search for any missed traces of his former lover and discovers the reason behind his mysterious disappearance. Perhaps Donghae could even find a way to save him.


Author's Note: _This is my second time writing a fic. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or bad grammar, I try! The story takes a while to pick up but bear with me! There's gonna be more chapters eventually _;v; _I hope you will like it anyways!_

* * *

Any trace of Summer had long gone. The warm, thick humidity of the warmest season had faded and been replaced by the cool, crisp air of early October. Nearing the brink towards the wood, where the activity of a miniscule rural settlement abruptly cut off and gave way to a small, down-ward sloped meadow, most of the deciduous trees and shrubs had lost all of their leaves. Several patches of brightly coloured leaves still remained suspended in the air on a few of the trees, blowing softly in the breeze. The settlement itself, as stated before, was small. It had a population of only about ten thousand people, and was mostly farmland other than a downtown area, even including an undersized shopping mall. Those who still lived there seemed happy enough, however. The townsfolk were all very friendly and helpful towards one another and there was rarely crime. The police didn't even carry guns.

Somewhere among the slow pace of a Monday morning walked a young man of about twenty-one years, trailed after by a middle-sized dog whom had decided it to be a convenient time to sniff at a fire hydrant. The man, upon realizing that he was no longer being followed by the dog, turned around and whistled sharply. The dog ignored him, focused intently on the fascinating object in which it had discovered.

"Teddy! C'mere, I wanna go home! I'm cold."

He called out to the dog, before turning around to continue walking, this time with the dog running behind him. The man shivered as a cool breeze blew, wishing that he could have grabbed a hoodie before he went to walk Teddy. A clump of brown hair fell in front of his face, poking him in the eye and snapping him out of his drifting thoughts. Slightly annoyed, he brushed it out of his face. Maybe he should cut it; it had grown quite long since his last haircut.

Sighing inwardly, the young boy and the dog ventured along the worn down sidewalk, approaching the outskirts of the town where the few shops and stands gave way to great masses of farms and the occasional cluster of houses. The sun peered over the hillside, shining onto the fallen leaves and bestowing the atmosphere with a dull, seemingly golden-coloured glow, giving the settlement a worn out and tired appearance. The township lay hidden deep away beyond a large expanse of forest, underneath a grayish-blue sky that contained traces of a deeper, richer blue on the horizon line. Few knew of the town's existence other that the inhabitants; not that they were complaining. It was a pleasant break away from the regular hustle and bustle of the larger cities that could be found by venturing for a few miles in any direction away from the neighbourhood.

Eventually, the dog and the boy reached a desolate street hidden away in the shadow of a looming hill. Where the borders of the settlement reached their end, the land became flat and corn and various other types of agriculture could be seen being stretched out along the plain for several miles. The dog, who was not being held by his leash and had it trailing along behind, surged forward as they stepped onto the boulevard and bounded across the road towards the last home at the end of the street. A large, nearly leafless oak tree stood in the centre of the lawn, branches draped over the black shingles on the roof which were now covered by brightly coloured leaves and debris, making a slight canopy above the abode. The house itself was constructed by the means of red bricks, and ivy crawled up towards the roof on the left side. Teddy raced across the lawn, scattering the leaves that had fallen amongst the grass and jumped onto the porch, only to brake, turn around sharply and sit, then proceed to patiently for his master to come forward and unlock the door.

It didn't take long for the boy to reach his home and walk up the steps leading onto the wooden porch. He scratched the animal fondly behind the ear before reaching his hand into his pocket to grab his house key and unlock the door. Forcing it open, the dog squeezed through the opening and ran into the house. A blast of warm, sweet smelling air hit him in the face as the man stepped into his residence. It smelled of wood and coffee, and although quite familiar, the boy felt as though he hadn't been here in a very long time. This confused him. This was his home, was it not? Or at least temporarily until he was able to scrounge up enough money and move out again. He felt as if something was picking at his brain, although he wasn't exactly sure what it was.

"Dad, I'm home!"

The young man shouted through the house. Nobody answered. Slipping off his shoes, the boy whistled for the dog that had disappeared into the hallway beyond the insignificant room at the front of the house. Normally Teddy would wait before taking off into the house, the boy noted. As the thought crossed, the dog came trotting towards him again, tail wagging. Footsteps could be heard following slowly behind the dog, but the boy didn't bother to look up as he removed the leash from the dog's collar.

"It's getting really cold out. Probably should've grabbed a jacket before taking Teddy, heh..." The boy paused, glancing up briefly at his supposed father.

"Wait... You're not-"He awkwardly stood up, abruptly cutting off his sentence. For several moments, he stood there regarding the figure standing several meters away from him. The person, instead of being his father, was a young boy as well about his age, and wore a plain white t-shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants. His blond bangs hung down in front of his eyes, yet they were still visible through his hair, gleaming brightly. The boy wore a bright, toothy smile that was all too well-known to the other who had just entered the home.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Fishy?" The blond haired boy chuckled. His voice was smooth and friendly.

The other's only response to the question was to stand there, dumbfounded, mouth ajar. A clatter was heard as the metal clasp of the leash hit the floor as it fell from the boy's hand. His mind couldn't comprehend that this man, this absolutely stunningly perfect man (who had somehow gotten into his house without a key), was standing in front of him. His eyes watered, yet he didn't cry, and finally, after several long moments or possibly only just a few heartbeats, he stepped forward until he stood only a few feet in front of the other boy, studying him.

"Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug?"

Finally, the boy with the messy brown hair broke out into a smile; the biggest smile he had managed to make for a long time. He pulled the other boy into his arms and embraced him in the biggest bear hug that he had ever given. Burying his face into the other's neck, he let out a muffled squeal of happiness. Trembling slightly due to the populous amount of emotions that he felt pulsing through his head, at long last, the boy finally managed to choke out a word.

"Hyukkie!"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

At their feet, Teddy, who was now bored with the ordeal, made his way out of the hallway and into the kitchen.

The trembling man placed his forehead against Hyuk's, looking into his dark eyes before closing the distance between the two by pressing his lips to the other's, meeting in a soft and shy kiss. After several moments, they broke apart, yet remained holding onto each other in their protective embrace.

"You came back." The boy smiled at his lover, looking as if he might cry again. "...I missed you."

"My dear sweet Hae, I'd never leave you. I know you know that."

And suddenly, unfortunate realization struck the brown haired boy.

Donghae woke with a start. A dream. It was only a dream, and a cruel one at that. Searching frantically around the room as if he was looking for something that wasn't there and blinking away the tears that had began to form in the corners of his eyes, the boy sighed deeply. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust to the gloom that he found himself surrounded in.

It had been seven years. Seven years since he had been in that town and last seen his Hyukjae; well, not that Hyuk could even be called his anymore. In the nightmare, it had only been a year. He hadn't thought of the white haired boy- well, a completely full grown man now- for quite a long time and therefore Donghae was left feeling disturbed by the sudden memory. Sometimes, Eunhyuk would briefly drift by in his thoughts. He almost wondered if the strange boy whom he had once loved had only ever been a fragment of his imagination, and never actually existed outside of his mind. Glancing around his room, the man found it hard to focus on anything other than the walls, clad in posters of various bands and things he liked, yet he didn't focus on those. Sitting upright in his bed and leaning with his back against the wall, he stared at the door, half expecting it to open. After assuring himself that nobody would come barging through the door, the boy stood up and moved away from his bed to the other side of the room and began rummaging through a drawer, uncertain of exactly what he was looking for. Something, anything. A memory. He needed to know that it had been real.

He was tempted to pause for a moment and reminisce, but then decided that it wasn't the time. He got up and left the room.

Where could Hyuk have gone?

...

Donghae had been eleven years old when he first met Eunhyuk.

As the story went, Eunhyuk had managed to keep himself from going to the doctor's office for the past few weeks by hiding in the closet all day when his mother told him that he would be going to get a check up. The young boy would only come out once it became dark outside and he grew hungry and would proceed to head downstairs, where his irritated mother would let out a sigh of defeat and give him his dinner. He had no trouble sitting in the darkness of the closet all day. Hyukjae felt that he wasn't like most of the other boys his age, who enjoyed running around in large groups, playing football and pulling pranks on one another. He was more creative than physically active, expressing his thoughts through writing and visual arts, even though his drawing skills weren't the best. He liked to sing as well, so on the days where he hid from his mother he hummed quietly to himself and thought up new ideas for stories that he could write. When he grew bored of the dull walls of the inside of the storage unit, he would creep out of the crevice, open his bedroom window and climb out onto a branch of the old oak tree and jump down to the ground, where he would then run off to play by himself or with some friends. It wasn't that he was afraid of doctors; he just childish sometimes and didn't want to go.

Eventually, his friend Kyuhyun convinced him to finally receive his checkup by stating that if you didn't go to the doctors, then you'd get sick and die. Pouting, Eunhyuk laughed and said that it wasn't true, although the comment did made him feel weary. So the next time that his mother told him that he was to a take the bus downtown for his checkup, he didn't hide and obediently put on his shoes.

When Eunhyuk arrived and stepped off the bus, he had been shocked by all of the people swarming around him. Almost immediately, the poor boy was pushed and swept away into the crowd where he was elbowed in the face and kicked repetitively in the back of the legs. Trying to move to a section of the sidewalk that was less crowded, the brown haired boy continued awkwardly up the street until he reached a small building labelled "Doctor's". Upon entering, Eunhyuk immediately found himself in a space with a very stuffy and upsetting atmosphere. The room itself was just an average doctor's office with white walls, green and blue wallpaper, gray flooring tiles and a desk where a secretary would usually sit. However, huddled up in a chair in the corner sat a young boy his age wearing a gray v-neck and lose black pants. His face was hidden by his knees, which were pressed to his chest, and although Eunhyuk couldn't see the boy's expression, it was obvious that the gloomy mood was radiating off of him. He appeared to be the only one in the room.

So Hyukjae went and sat down beside him. Regularly he would have been sketched out by a stranger crying in the doctor's office that he didn't even want to go to in the first place, but on that day he felt a little bit more brave than usual.

"Um, so... your first time here alone too, huh?" He began awkwardly as the strange boy made a chokey sobbing noise. He paused, looking up with red eyes and a tear stained face. The cry baby was... actually pretty cute looking.

"E-errr... yeah, my mom couldn't come with me and I have to g-get two injections today..." He seemed flustered and his voice cracked near the end of the sentence.

"Oh... well yeah, needles are pretty bad." Hyukjae noticed that the crying boy flinched at the mention of needles. Maybe he needed a different approach.

"Um. So, I could come in with you and stand with you. If that would make you feel better. Or if not then that's okay too. Umm..." Feeling flustered as well, Hyuk turned away, cheeks flushed with a pink shade.

"Yeah... I think I'd like that." Wiping the tears off his face, he smiled at Hyukjae. "My name's Donghae."

Donghae's smile was pretty contagious. "People call me Eunhyuk. My real name's Hyukjae, but don't tell anyone... it's kind of embarrassing."

Donghae moved closer in his seat, placing his head on the blond's chest, causing Hyukjae to freeze. "I dunno, I think Hyukjae is a pretty nice name."

...

"Teukkie?"

"Yes?"

"Actually, uh, nevermind."

Leeteuk turned to look at his friend through narrowed eyes.

"Aish, would you just tell me what's going on already? You've been fidgety all day." He laughed, shoving the other playfully. The two boys lay sprawled out on Teuk's bed, enjoying the comfort of the safe environment and a pleasant night. In the living room outside of the bedroom, Kyuhyun and his almost-boyfriend-but-not-quite friend Sungmin were lying together on the couch and watching a movie on Leeteuk's laptop. For a long time Sungmin had a crush on Kyuhyun, and it was painfully obvious that Kyuhyun liked him too, but they were both to shy and lacked the confidence to just come out and say it to one another. Their whispers and giggles were just barely audible through the walls of the bedroom. They were all room mates as they simply enjoyed each other's company and were close enough that they considered themselves as brothers of sorts.

"Do you ever wonder where Hyukkie is? Like... do you think he's still out there somewhere?"

Leeteuk turned and looked at him abruptly, clearly startled by the question. Outside, Kyu's and Minnie's chatter suddenly stopped.

"Oh Hae... have you started thinking about him again?"

...

"Hae, do you even know where we're going?"

"Yeah yeah, this is one of my favourite places to go off to on my own, I know you're gonna love it!"

Eunhyuk pouted slightly as he followed a few steps behind Donghae as the two eighteen year olds climbed through a sheltered trail in the forest that surrounded Hae's hometown.

"Do you even know how to get back in the dark? The sun's setting pretty fast..."

Donghae stopped suddenly and whirled around, resulting in Hyukjae walking straight into him. Donghae quickly embraced the blond and pulled him in close. Eunhyuk's breath caught in his throat and he felt his face grow hot and knew that he was blushing furiously. Nearly as quickly as it started, Hae pulled away whilst declaring that they had arrived, however Eunhyuk was more concerned that Donghae was no longer holding him.

Finally looking around, Eunhyuk found himself standing in front of a tiny creek, dotted and half choked with the remains of broken beer bottles and the like, sharp edges worn away by years of being buried by sand and water. On the other side of the brook lay a small clearing littered with the seemingly abandoned holes of ground-living animals. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle, soothing sound of the river and the fallen leaves blowing around in the grass. It really was beautiful.

"See, what did I tell you? Pretty cool?" Donghae was suddenly in front of the other boy, grinning. Oh God, that smile. Hyukjae had been sold on that smile since day one. He found his arms reaching out to Donghae's shoulders and pulling him down to lay on the ground. The beautiful scenery with the evening sky really was beautiful, and yet Hyuk found himself only focused on Hae. He really did love Donghae, and yet he felt as though he couldn't share this with him out of fear of rejection. While they flirted quite frequently and would often do couple-y things, Eunhyuk was still convinced that he was far too shy to make the first move.

"Hyukkie. Are you okay?" A concerned voice snapped Hyukjae out of his thoughts. He looked down at his fishy who was looking up at him. They were laying on the ground. Donghae was laying on him. Oh God. Donghae was laying on him.

"O-oh! Yep, I'm fine, how are you doing?" He asked casually. Gotta be smooth.

Donghae tilted his head slightly, staring at him intently and Hyukjae felt his mind go blank. Donghae's eyes were so perfect. Everything about him was just... so perfect. After a few moments, Donghae blushed and quickly turned away awkwardly. Eunhyuk blinked.

Maybe Donghae was shy too. Maybe even more so than him.

Seconds after his epiphany, Eunhyuk had flipped Donghae onto his back and was hovering above him. Donghae was clearly very flustered, eyes darting up and down across Hyuk's body, face red due to his shyness.

"U-uhhh, Hyuk? W-what are you doing?"

Leaning in closer, Hyuk pressed his lips very lightly against Donghae's cheek. Hyukjae could feel his arms shaking and he feared that Donghae would push him off, yelling something like 'aish! What do you think you're doing!?' And yet no such thing happened. Donghae on the other hand shivered at the contact, feeling blissful as the tips of Hyukjae's hair brushed against his face.

Eunhyuk, who was feeling confident now that he knew he wasn't going to be shoved off, had moved down and was kissing Donghae's neck. He would lick it occasionally until he reached the jawbone where he would suck at it tenderly, causing Donghae to moan slightly, which encouraged Eunhyuk further. However suddenly Eunhyuk stopped and pulled himself up slightly so he could look at the brown haired boy. Donghae groaned in protest but then quickly averted his eyes in embarrassment when he realized what noises he had been making. Using his hand to cup Donghae's jaw, Hyukjae pulled his face up so their eyes could meet

"Hae."

"Hyuk?"

"Hae, I..." Oh God. Eunhyuk felt himself trembling in the arms once more as he felt the confidence dripping out of him. Meanwhile Donghae stared up at him looking very much like an abandoned puppy who was about to be kicked in the face.

"Donghae... I really... Um, well, I just need to tell you that I, uh..." Hyukjae swallowed nervously and could feel his eyes beginning to water a bit. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"I really, really love-"

Suddenly lips were on his. Hyukjae's eyes widened in surprise and he once again felt his mind go blank and his stomach flutter. Donghae's fingers were working their way through his hair and he let himself be pulled back down onto his chest. His Donghae, the fishy who belonged to only him now. The kiss quickly became more heated as they explored eachother's mouths with their tongues for the first time, hands running up and down eachother's body. By the end, Hyukjae found himself on his back, staring up at Donghae.

"Hyukjae... I love you."

Eunhyuk sighed a breath of relief, still feeling butterflies after the experience.

"I... I love you too."

"Also, I don't know the way back in the dark."

...

It was common knowledge to all living in the area that seven years ago, Lee Hyukjae had mysteriously disappeared, seemingly right off the face of the Earth. It had happened two years after the two boys had become a couple. One day, Eunhyuk had gone out and had not returned by nightfall or the next morning. Donghae as well as the rest of the 'brothers' felt concerned however they new that Eunhyuk would sometimes disappear to think and reflect on his own. Donghae did however felt slightly more disturbed than the rest as Eunhyuk had never even written a note or sent a text before leaving. When Eunhyuk failed to return in any of the following days, panic arose and the police were contacted and they began a search. Donghae was frantic and, as well as the rest of the group, they searched and asked as many people as they could if they had seen the blond boy.

Months passed and absolutely no trace was found, Hyuk's phone was even found to have been left at home.

Donghae, for a very long time, was a miserable mess and would often stay home all day waiting for his Hyuk to come walking through the door. Eventually the brothers all moved in together and Donghae began to try to forget about Hyukjae, however he still held out hope that the blond haired man would come back one day. Three years later, Donghae had to face that he would probably never see his Hyukkie again. But some part of him still hoped. Eventually he tried to look for someone else, and yet he didn't feel love for anybody else like he had for Hyukjae. After a year, Donghae gave up on dating and focused on trying to live his life. The past two years had gone by pretty smoothly and Hyukjae would only occasionally pass through his thoughts, yet he tried not to let it upset him. That was until the dream had brought back memories that he had tried so long to forget. He found his brain was focused intently on the thought of Hyukjae. Maybe he was out there, somewhere. Maybe he wasn't dea-

"Donghae!" A voice cut into his train of thought, startling him. "That's the third time I've said your name. Are you okay?" The voice of Leeteuk was concerned. Donghae could only shrug in response, earning a sigh from Leeteuk.

"Donghae. It's been seven years. Seven years! I thought that you had let him go, what made you bring him up again?"

"Maybe we just didn't look hard enough...?" Donghae's voice trailed off. Clearly, he hadn't heard anything Leeteuk had said.

Leeteuk sighed a troubled sigh, suddenly looking very tired. "Donghae, please. Try not to think about it. Maybe you should go to bed early tonight."

Glancing up, Donghae nodded. Leeteuk wasn't being of much help anyways. He felt sort of bad seeing as for the longest time his own worries had concerned his brothers, forcing their acceptance of Eunhyuk's disappearance to be delayed. Perhaps Donghae had never really accepted and gotten over Hyukjae after all.

Donghae shut the door to his room and immediately headed over to his drawer once more. He rummaged through it until at the bottom, he located an old cellphone. After the disappearance of Hyukjae, Donghae would keep Hyukjae's phone charged at all times in case he might ever try to call it. He'd search through the phone as well, looking for any clues of where Hyukkie could have gone, but alas, nothing was ever found. The battery had been long dead now. Eventually Donghae had given up on Hyukjae's cell phone and placed it in his drawer where he willed himself to never take it out. There was no sense in getting his hopes up when nothing was ever there.

But now, Donghae found himself plugging the phone into its charger. For a moment nothing happened, and then the old phone miraculously lit up, displaying a charging bar. Pressing another button, the phone then began to start up as it regularly would, Donghae holding it in his hand as if it were a sacred, delicate orb. 'Nothing is going to happen', he thought to himself. 'It's going to the same old result.' And yet part of him still hoped.

The home screen had popped up. Donghae glanced down, hardly daring to breathe.

There was one text message from a blocked number, dated two years ago.

_To be continued._


End file.
